Sunday, August 03, 2008

So I made it out the door. How about that? Never gave myself the chance to hum and haw, maybe that's the secret... Cnyway, caught 3 movies in 2 cinemas in 6 hours. A mini film festival all to myself. The Cameo double of "Old Joy" and "Junebug" had a notable tie up because Will Oldham is in both and Yo La Tengo score the two. YLT's soundtrack work is really something. Particularly in "OJ". The film itself is about two guys who go out to try and reclaim their closeness in the Oregon woods. Nothing much happens. they go to Bagby Hot Springs and return home. The scenery looks like the drive up to Loch Ness.

I'd forgotten much of "Junebug" despite having seen it at a previous EIFF. It's a nice little film and the fact that it doesn't have a happy ending in conventional terms makes it all the more special. So all that finished in nice time to cut along the road to catch "Berlin". There were 4 people in the theatre watching this including me.

The album material itself is amazing. "Caroline Says II" and "Sad Song" being particularly moving. I don't know if it was just my mood but I was thinking along the lines that these two songs in particular might be among the best concert film I've ever seen. And Steve Hunter's guitar - what a treat. Took me back to The Apollo and the "Rock'nRoll Animal" tour.

There is a flaw though, from the highs of the main event - the encore starts with Antony Hegarty caterwauling through "Candy Says". I was reminded watching this of a description offered up my one Doctor H of Montana some time ago on the subject. I'll leave it at that. Almost is bad is something called "Rock Minuet" that follows it. Redeption is at hand though with a great version of "Sweet Jane" that unwraps during the end titles. Lou himself was looking uncharacteristically chuffed throughout to the point of an actual smile cracking his face on a couple of occasions.

It begins a run in Glasgow next week and I'd recommend the main concert sequence. As a production goes, it's pretty amazing. Bob Ezrin and Hal Willner did a great job as did Julian Schnabel getting this to the screen.

Where do you stand on artists playing their albums like "pieces" these days? It certainly aids some who otherwise couldn't pace a set supposing their lives depended on it but I'm not convinced it's the way ahead.

So anyway, this thing is about to be switched off for the evening. Goodnicht.

Still pondering the schlep into Edinburgh to ultimately catch Uncle Lou's "Berlin". If I get there for noon, I could catch that Will Oldham movie "Old Joy" with the fab "Junebug" on a double bill. I'm not a BPB fan but I am curious about his acting ability. So we'll see. I just discovered that "Fringe Sunday" is next weekend so Auld Reekie will just be unbearable as opposed to completely chuffing stowed.

What I really want is one of these smog machines that can turn my front room into a microcosm of the impending Olympics. If ever there was an irrelevant, bullshit event in these days of cheating, coniving and generally having no concept of fair play then this must be it. I hope the Chinese stop all means of getting information to us so I won't have to put up with it.

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A wee bit of background, etc.

This all kicked off as a print (Xerox) magazine in 1977 and now it's on the interweb. Named after the title track on The Dictators Go Girl Crazy (40 years old in 2015) the purpose has always been to uphold what’s good and pure and right in terms of rock’n’roll and its satellites.

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I plan to put PDFs of all physical issues up here eventually and in addition, all Rockin’ Bones, Watch This and Fuzzbuzz.Maybe Psychedelic Basement, etc from Sounds too so that everything is in one place. Some of the quality of the source material isn’t terribly good but it’s all I have to work with. It will take some time. The 3 page pilot issue, “NBT 0” from September 1976 never survived as far as I know. Some of the content is a wee bit embarrassing at this juncture but every journey has to start someplace, right?